Interesting Articles

With technology moving out of the lab and into the classroom, it’s becoming a challenge for some teachers to infuse their teaching with tech tools such as websites, educational games, simulations, iPads, Chromebooks, GAFE, and other geeky devices that used to be the purview of a select group of nerdy teachers. Now, all teachers are expected to have students work, collaborate, research, and publish online.

Despite fears that U.S. students are behind the international curve in science and math, most Americans think communication skills are more important for long term success, according to a Pew Research study.

► Technology being used to substitute an analog activity► Technology use being seen as an add-on to allow students to use devices, the Internet, a program or an app as a reward, for entertainment, as a time filler for students who finish early► Technology use as a separate subject area► Technology as a $1000 pencil initiative► Technology seen as the solution to motivate and engage students

The notion that teachers improve over their first three or so years in the classroom and plateau thereafter is deeply ingrained in K-12 policy discussions, coming up in debate after debate about pay, professional development, and teacher seniority, among other topics.

Engaging, multimedia-rich digital stories can capture the attention of students and increase their interest in exploring new ideas. Combining storytelling with powerful digital creates a truly authentic learning experience that helps students develop a wide range of intellectual skills.

Since 2010, badges—virtual recognition for learning in new ways, both in and out of the classroom—have sparked the interest of leaders in K-12 and higher education. We asked Erin Knight, senior learning director at the Mozilla Foundation, which helped spearhead the Open Badges movement, five questions designed to get the scoop on how these new credentials are changing teaching and assessment.

You can’t watch a video like you read a book; the modalities couldn’t be much different. On the surface level a video uses light, color, sound, and moving images, with the potential for adding text and shape and color and light filters as overlays to communicate ideas, while the most basic text structures use alphanumeric symbols, paragraph and sentence structure, and an assortment of text features (e.g., white space, headings and subheadings, fonts, etc.) to convey their message.

Research, Rate & Review the Educational Resources You Use Every Day! Learnteria is a first-of-its kind tool that allows you to research, rate and review the educational resources you use every day. What makes Learnteria unique is its scope and interactivity.

A lot of teachers ask us when they should start using Front Row with their students, and there's one simple answer: whenever you feel that your students could benefit from more targeted independent practice. Front Row is a program that accurately isolates skills and gaps with every student - then it fills the gaps and builds on the strengths, allowing students to grow into extraordinary mathematicians.

Create and play quizzes, discussions or even surveys (which we call Kahoots) using any device with a web browser… including a laptop, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android, Chromebook, Windows Phone or PC and more — see full list.

Our Ocean Portal Educators’ Corner provides you with activities, lessons and educational resources to bring the ocean to life for your students. We have collected top resources from our collaborators to provide you with teacher-tested, ocean science materials for your classroom. We hope these resources, along with the rich experience of the Ocean Portal, will help you inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.

Google Tools for Teachers

The first one, Google Sheets, usually comes pre-installed on Chromebooks but if you don’t have it you can install it from the link below.For those of you seeking a powerful alternative to Google Sheets, Zoho Sheet is the best answer. Both of these are integrated with Google Drive so you can access, create, and share sheets directly from your Drive.

Seating and behavior charts are an essential parts of any good teacher’s tool kit. They help organise students into appropriate learning groups and minimise school behaviour issues – the class teacher asserts their authority before the lesson even begins.

Most of us know of the Googley Goodness of Google Drive and related apps for education, but did you know there is much, much more that Google offers for FREE! There are so many hidden gems for teachers and students.

Like most parents, I love helping my kids learn more about something they're interested in. For example, right now, I spend a lot of time on YouTube with my 3-year-old son, who loves watching videos of car washes, Super Simple Songs, and about the universe. We’re not the only ones: Families worldwide are watching millions of videos on YouTube. And lately, those of us at YouTube have been working on a new way for our kids—and yours—to discover and explore videos on every topic in, well, the universe.